


When the Hunters Become the Hunted

by LadyHalfMoon



Category: Buzzfeed Unsolved (Web Series), Buzzfeed: Worth It (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - 1910s, Alternate Universe - Edwardian, Alternate Universe - Vampire, Edwardian Period, F/M, M/M, Vampire Hunters, Vampire Sex
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-27
Updated: 2018-12-06
Packaged: 2019-09-01 09:42:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,249
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16762627
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyHalfMoon/pseuds/LadyHalfMoon
Summary: The year is 1914. Vampires are now on the rise. Precautions have been taken and Vampire Hunting businesses are being made. A popular Vampire Hunting Business receives an anonymous call about a rumor of a castle located in Ukraine. The rumor is of Ilnyckyj Castle, abandoned for the last 274 years, actually being run by 3 hostile Vampiric souls. The business calls upon it’s best Hunters, Ryan Bergara and Shane Madej, and their Rookie, Steven Lim, to deal with such a grand Hunting call. The 3 Hunters, after traveling to find Ilnyckyj Castle, hidden deep within the dense Ukrainian woods, finally come across a clearing which holds the grand residence. Though supposedly abandoned, the Hunters are indeed welcomed by 3 spirits, Lord Ilnyckyj, Annie Jeong, the Castle maid and midwife, and Adam Bianchi, the Castle Blacksmith. While things begin friendly and normal, the longer the 3 reside in the Castle to investigate, the more troubling things become and tensions start to rise. Shane appears to be the only one who remembers why they’re there in the first place. Where did the Castle’s rumors arise from? Why are these residents so detached from the world? The more Shane investigates, the worse things get for everyone else.





	1. The Call

**Author's Note:**

> Some 1900's/1910's slang to take note of:
> 
> Duck soup - Something easy  
> Goop - A stupid person  
> Grouser - Someone who complains or whines  
> Hawkshaw - A detective
> 
> Some other notes: I tried to make this as accurate to the time as I could but I know somethings won't be exactly perfect. (I know at some point Sara talks about planes; the first commercial plane trip was in January 1914, so it is somewhat accurate.)
> 
> Edit: So while I have done my best at researching, the one thing I had forgotten to research was Ukraine's location on the World Map, as I thought it had been on the East of Russia when it is closer to Europe. Because of that, I have edited the type of transportation the boys take to get there. Sorry for the misinformation.

Five. Five stakes. That’s how many stakes Steven had been left with from their last Hunting expedition in Peru. Steven sighed looking at his extremely sparse collection. He’s been working as a Hunter for, what, almost two years at this point? Yet he still loves to be stake-crazy and always ends up with barely any left. At this rate, the business is gonna have to clear out a whole forest to give him the appropriate amount of stakes Steven’s been wasting on missions. A slap on his back gets Steven out of his trance.  
“Hey man!” Shane says, giving the Rookie a big grin. “Don’t get so down on yourself about these things! No one gets smart at Hunting that quickly, you’re getting along just fine.” Steven huffs and nods, returning Shane’s grin with his own. He knows Shane truly means well but sometimes his wording can be a bit… insulting? Was he calling Steven dumb or not? Either way Ryan comes in with more stakes to replenish their collection.

  
“Alright boys,” he says, dropping the stakes on his desk. “Management’s low on wood today so we’re gonna be short for our next job.” Shane laughs, punching Steven’s arm, maybe just a little too hard.

  
“Oh, come on now, Ryan.” He says, picking cup a cold cup of old coffee. “You’re always short on every job!” This time Steven can’t help but snicker, but instantly shuts up when Ryan shoots him a glare.

  
“Okay you big goop, enough out of you. No time to rest, the second we came back from Peru, Marchbank said the boss had a big job for us.” Ryan said, taking off his wide-brimmed hat and reassembling his stakes and other Hunting supplies. Steven suppressed a groan, making his way over to the pile of stakes, and holding one up.  
“Another one? It took us weeks getting to and from Peru. I hope this one is at least a local job. That’d be duck soup.” Ryan shrugged, locking up his briefcase and leaning it against his desk.

  
“When has Vampire Hunting ever been duck soup? Either way, we’re taking it. C’mon Rook, let’s go see the boss.” Ryan walked out of their office, with the two taller men following behind.

  
The three quickly moved down the hall to the boss’s office. They’ve already spent enough time travelling from Peru, they didn’t want to waste any more time than they already have. When they approached the door, a colleague of theirs, TJ Marchbank opened it for them, leading to the boss’s office.

  
“Heya boss, we were told you got a big call?” Ryan asked the big chair in front of him. As serious as the boss could be, they found humor in spinning around to see their employers when calling them in for a big job.

  
“Why yes I do, boys.” Sara spun to face them, legs crossed, hands neatly folded in her lap. “Might be a long one if the three of you are willing to take it?” Ryan scoffed.  
“Duck soup.” He said, crossing his arms. Steven rolled his eyes. He hadn’t even been working in the business for two years but it’s even obvious to him how much Ryan likes to kiss up to Sara. Sara gave the three a big grin.

  
“Good! Because you three will have to mosey on over to Ukraine for this one!” Shane nearly choked on his coffee and Steven’s breath got caught in his throat. Noticing the silence, Sara cocked her eyebrow. “Oh, boys! Don’t tell me you wanna start complaining! Not after you just came back from Peru, all the way in the South! Shane, you’ve been working here, what, 7 years? Almost 8? Oh, Madej, would you like a new job?”

  
“Oh, absolutely not! I’d be delighted to visit Ukraine! Heard it’s quite lovely ‘round this time of year!” Shane wipes the coffee from his mouth and nudges Steven. “Right Steven? Wouldn’t a visit to Ukraine be absolutely grand?” Before Steven can reply, Ryan shrugs them both off.

  
“We’ll take the job, Sara. Thanks for the offer.” Sara nods, smiling.

  
“Of course. Well I’ll let you three in on the details we know so far. So this location in Ukraine right, it’s an _abandoned Castle_. I know you guys aren’t unfamiliar with Castles but this one is said to be hundreds of years old. Not only that, but it’s a little strange, the location it’s settled in. Almost like it’s deliberately hidden.”

  
“What do you mean?” Steven asked, notepad out.

  
“I mean this Castle isn’t just in the middle of nowhere, but you’d have to know a specific route to find it. Our sources tell us that the way to find it is ‘within the trees’ but that’s all we’ve been told about it. You three are gonna have to decipher that on your own.”

  
“So what are we dealing with here? A whole family? A cluster of demons? A big bad lone wolf?” Shane asked, getting close, obviously jazzed over such a mysterious case. Sara rolled her eyes at him.

  
“From what I’ve been told, three residents. Not exactly the oldest bunch either, but they’ve been around long enough, so you three-”

  
“We know,” Ryan says, cutting Sara off. “Mind our manners, no goofing. You can bet on us to get this done quick, boss. Thanks again.”

  
“Any time, Bergara. I’ve called for a ship to take you three to France tomorrow. When you get there, get to Paris and let them know Rubin sent you. You’ll have a plane in no time.” Ryan nodded and the three were escorted of out the boss’s room by TJ.

  
“Ukraine!” Steven gasped once they enter the hall again. “If it took us weeks to get to Peru, how long would it take for Ukraine?” Shane slapped Steven’s back again, sighing.

  
“Well, there’s no need to complain now. Unless we don’t want to be Hunters anymore. We took the job already, like Ryan said, duck soup!” Steven scoffed as Ryan and Shane strolled back to their office.

_When has Vampire Hunting ever been duck soup?_

+

This time it nearly took a month’s travel. Travelling for such a long time was one thing, but this time, Steven and Shane has to listen to Ryan go on and on about California and the first time he’d ever traveled across the country. “You wouldn’t believe how big this damned country is, it’s marvelous! Can you believe how small our little town and cities actually are? We had some tracks by my little town, we all used to play around it as kids. You wouldn’t BELIEVE how many of us lost our lives in that one spot.” You know what, Steven just might have not been able to believe any of it.

  
Currently, the three had been stood in front of some woods. It wasn’t even what one would call a typical forest, but it was a side clearing besides some backwoods roads. Shane was looking at a poorly done map Steven had made along the way and Ryan was closely examining the trees.

  
“Okay hawkshaw, do you know where we’re headed? Because Rook over here can’t draw a map for beans.” Shane said carelessly tossing Steven’s map over his back.

  
“Hey! Come on now, I’m pretty alright for someone who started learning a couple weeks ago! On a damned carriage!” He said, catching his map. Ryan sighed, hands on his hips.

  
“Don’t worry, Rubin sent in a telegram once we landed in Russia. She said that supposedly the way to get to the Castle is within the trees.” Steven looked up from his map.

  
“Within the trees? The hell does that even mean?” Looking up at the trees, Steven wouldn’t be able to tell you the difference between the tree right in front of them to a tree 500 miles away. Ryan sighed, not being able to tell any differences either.

  
“What about you, big guy?” He said, turning to Shane. “You able to catch anything?” Shane hadn’t exactly said anything at the moment, but then started chuckling and scratching his chin.  
“You know Ryan, you know what’s the damnedest thing? ‘Coulda sworn those branches just moved.” Ryan and Steven turned to each other and then turned back to Shane.

  
“Um...Don’t branches always move?” Steven asks, looking at the tree’s branches.

  
“No, well yeah, but look,” Shane says pointing. “Don’t they look like they’re pointing towards something? Somewhere?” Steven looked closer. The branches of the trees, before had been flexible and swaying, seemed to now be forcibly bent towards the right. He turned around, looking at the trees on the other side of the clearing. Their branches moved the typical way they’re supposed to. Looking back, Steven could confirm that something was definitely up with these branches.

  
“Should we follow them?” Before Steven could even finish his question, Ryan and Shane had already started making their way towards wherever the branches had been pointing to. “H-hey! Wait up!”

  
It was like an endless maze, that forest. Several hours in and the three still hadn’t been able to find their way to the rumored Castle. Although the three weren’t the type to give up easily, they still felt like they were going to lose their minds if they didn’t start making any progress within the next few minutes. After feeling like they’ve looped around for the hundredth time, Ryan look a seat on a fallen log.

  
“We haven’t just been looping have we?” asked Steven, placing himself next to Ryan. “I mean, I feel like we haven’t gone anywhere! We could either be ten feet from the clearing we came from or ten hundred feet, but we wouldn’t be able to tell! That’d be the damnedest thing, wouldn’t it?” Ryan scoffed and Shane chuckled.

  
“You know what’d be an absolute hoot, Lim?” Shane said, looking around them. “What if we weren’t meant to follow where the branches were pointing, what if we were meant to follow the opposite?” Ryan nodded, getting up.

  
“Sara did say something about the Castle not wanting to be found.” Ryan looked at Steven’s face; he obviously was not amused with such a quip. “Oh, don’t be such a grouser, Rook. I’m sure it won’t take as long. Besides-”

  
“Don’t.” Steven says, cutting him off. “I get it, Hunting ain’t easy. Let’s just get to that damned Castle already.”

  
With enough backtracking, it led the three into another clearing, except this time, these part of the woods looked completely different.

  
“Is it just me,” Steven says, his pace slowing to a crawl. “Or are things starting to look a little more...dead?”

  
“Oh, definitely,” said Ryan, placing a hand on Steven’s shoulder. “‘Guess Miss Rubin wasn’t a whole nut after all.”

  
“Nope,” Shane said, walking past the two. “Only half a nut. But we are most indubitably in the right place. Look.” Shane gets to the end of the clearing first and dispels some dead hanging branches to reveal a dark looming Castle, sat in the middle of everything.

  
“Oh Christ,” Ryan exclaims, stepping forward. “Now _that_ is a Castle overrun by Vampires, no questions about it. Come on, boys.”

  
The Castle was old, decaying from the bottom up. Walls that were once a lively peach colored hue were now caked with dirt and grime for not being taken care of in years, maybe even centuries. Spires on the roof that once stood proud and tall were now at half-mast, broken from time. Tiles and paint splayed on the curved tops, now chipping away and dull. This Castle was rotting away to time and it’s a good thing the three were able to get to it before it’s inevitable destruction.

  
“Boy! Would you take a gander at this place!” Shane exclaimed, hands on his hips. He looks up at the crests above the grand dark doors. It was a simple golden-colored family crest, with a cross hovering above two axes overlapping each other. “‘The Castle of the Ilnyckyj Family.’ Huh. You’d think for a Castle overrun by Vampires, they’d be scared away by the cross.” Ryan laughed.

  
“Come on you goop, we’ve been doing this for 7 years now. You should know by now that these things aren’t afraid of anything. Let’s see what we’re dealing with.” Before he could even knock, the three Hunters jump back a little when the doors open on their own. Behind the doors stands a woman, possibly in her mid-20’s.

  
“Welcome to Ilnyckyj Castle,” she says, gesturing the three to come in. “I’m Annie, I serve under the Ilnyckyj’s as their maid. Please, come in.” Just as Steven sticks out his foot to enter, Ryan stops him and shoots him a look.

  
“Hello Miss Annie,” Ryan says with a bow, the other two men following suit. “Thank you for such a gracious welcome, but may I ask to meet one of the Ilnyckyj’s before we enter?” Annie gives him a look of hesitance but turns around when another voice calls out for her.

  
“No need to be so cautious, Annie,” the voice says. Annie turns back to the Hunters, giving them a wary look before fully opening the doors to reveal a man, wearing considerably old-fashioned clothing. “I’d love to meet our new guests.” The mysterious man strolled up to the entrance, dismissing Annie. He was a man possibly in his late 20’s; he seemed too young to be the Lord of such a Castle. His tired hazel eyes were not shy to the three Hunters, taking close looks at them when approaching.

  
“Hello there, Ilnyckyj, was it?” Shane said, extending his hand out to the gentleman. “I’m Shane Madej and these are my companions Steven Lim and Ryan Bergara. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

  
“Charmed, I’m sure,” said Ilnyckyj. But he wasn’t looking at Shane when he was replying. In fact, he seemed to completely dismiss the taller man. Instead, his look was fixated on Steven, who squirmed under the man’s gaze. “I am Lord Ilnyckyj, but you three can just address me as Andrew. What brings you fellows here? We haven’t had any guests in quite some time.”

  
“Well, actually,” Just as quickly as Ryan began, Andrew gestured and stopped him. He turned back to Steven, wanting an answer from him instead.

  
“Oh! Uh, my companions and I were just visiting from America. We’ve been lost for a couple hours and thought this Castle would be a good place to stay until we find our way back?” Steven’s statement ended as a question; he usually wasn’t the one to feign excuses for mission but going by Ryan and Shane’s calm demeanor, he can tell he was doing alright.

  
“Ah, wandering American travelers, are you now? Well, let’s come inside, I’ll have Annie fix us some tea.” Andrew said, gesturing for the men to enter the Castle.

  
“That would be lovely, thank you.” Ryan said, entering the Castle without any hesitation. Shane followed suit but Steven just watched the two of them; they were always the bolder of the three of them.

  
“Well? Will you be joining us, Steven?” Andrew said, snapping Steven out of his trance.

  
“Yes, of course. Sorry, just a tad disoriented from the travelling today.” He said slowly walking into the Castle.

  
“Not to worry, I’m sure we can fix that right up.” Andrew said closing the doors.

 _I’m sure_ I _can fix that right up._


	2. Tea Time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some 1900's/1910's slang to take note of:
> 
> Simp - A foolish person

Though the perkier of the three, Shane felt a chill run down his spine the second he heard those double doors shut. As uncomfortable as he was, he brushed the feeling off. He’s been doing this job for the last 7 years, right? What’s three young vampires gonna do; it isn’t like he hasn’t dealt with larger packs or older, wiser ones before, right? Then why the hell did he feel so off about being here?

“Right this way,” Annie said, leading the two Senior Hunters into a particularly small study. “Just take a seat, do you two have any preferences for tea?”

“Green tea is fine, thank you,” said Ryan, walking further into the room, checking out the bookshelves. He scoffed, pointing at the collection. “Boy, Shane, look at these books!” Shane stepped forward, leaning to see just how old these books were. Though tightly packed into their casings, the books seemed to be untouched, covered with what could be multiple layers of dust. Their pages yellowed and withering, they gave off a musty scent that signified just how untouched and neglected these books were.

“Criminy!” Shane said, retracting back before he could inhale another pound of dust. “You’d think with centuries of free time these guys would at least pass it with some reading…” He muttered under his breath. Before Ryan could make any remarks to Shane’s statement, Steven walked into the room with Lord Ilnyckyj following behind him. 

“Ah, admiring our collection?” The man said, strolling besides Shane, who almost jumped out of his skin. 

“Oh! Yes, actually,” Shane says, quickly gaining back his cool composure. “How come these books are so dusty? They seems like such interesting reads, especially Sidereus Nuncius.” The Lord laughed lowly. 

“Interested in the sciences, are you now?” Andrew said, giving the taller man a look. Shane laughed uncomfortably. “These books were from my father’s collection. Actually, this is my late father’s study, but we use it for recreational purposes. I have my own collection of books in my own study, we don’t touch these; they’ve just been decorations since my father’s passing.”

“Oh, I’m sorry.” Ryan said. Andrew nodded and his direction and smiled.

“Not to worry of course, it was many years ago when I was just a boy. Now I’ll go see where Annie is with your tea. Make yourselves comfortable, boys.” He said, giving Steven a look.

“So,” Shane started, looking from Ryan to Steven. “Is it just me or-”

“He’s indubitably strange,” Ryan said, walking to Shane’s side. The two looked at Steven, who had been awfully quiet during the whole exchange. “...Steven? Anything to add?”

“These people sure are….something…” the Rookie said, almost lost in thought. Ryan and Shane just stared at him. “What?”

“You simp!” Ryan said with a laugh. “We haven’t even been here for five minutes and you’re already being swayed by the charms of a vampire!” 

“What! No!” Steven said, pretty defensively. “I just...I’m not sure yet, you know? Like you just said, we haven’t even been here for five minutes.” Ryan and Shane turned to each other, but didn’t add any other comments. They didn’t believe him, but he wasn’t exactly wrong either. Just then, Shane spoke up.

“Instead of teasing Rook with his little Vampiric crush on Lord Ilnyckyj,” he said, holding his hands up in defensive as Steven shoots him a dirty look. “I think...one of us should check up on those two. Make sure they haven’t tainted the drinks with anything.” The other two men nod. As Ryan steps forward to make his way towards wherever the kitchen may be, he gets stopped by a third party and almost loses his footing. 

“Oh! Jesus…” He brushes himself off and eyes the man in front of him. He appeared to be taller than the previous two residents, but also looked the least aggressive of the two, given his neutral face and sad eyebrows. “Hello there, sorry to disturb. I was just wanting to know where the kitchen was.” The man looked in a direction opposite to the main entrance. Although not exactly clear, Ryan could make out a warm glow coming from one of the following doorways. He thanked the man and made his way. If he was truly a threat, at least he would be outnumbered by the other Hunters’ two to his one. The man stepped inside the study, alerting the two Hunters.

“Hello,” Shane said, also inquisitively. “We hadn’t been told of another soul in this humble abode! I’m Shane Madej, and this is my companion Steven Lim. I’m sure you must’ve met our third, Ryan Bergara. We’re just some travelers who lost their way, Lord Ilnyckyj offered to let us three sojourn in his residence.” The man nodded.

“Bianchi. Castle Blacksmith.” The man known as Bianchi spoke with a soft tone, almost quiet. If he hadn’t been, or at the very least, assumed to be, a Vampire, Shane would think that he was a very lovely man. Regardless, Shane wanted to at least continue and make some more conversation.

“Ah, a Blacksmith, eh?” Shane said, taking a seat. “Good work, especially for a Castle.” Bianchi nodded, walking up to the dusty bookshelf.

“What about you, Mr. Madej? What kind of work do you do?” 

“We’re writers,” Steven chimed in. “Shane writes about the world’s technological advancements. I write for a fashion magazine.”

“And Mr. Bergara?”

“Writes hard-boiled crime stories,” Ryan said, walking back into the study. “You three doin’ alright?” Before the three could say anything, Annie walked in carrying a hot pot of tea and a tray of cakes, with Adam rushing up to assist her. 

“Thank you very much!” Shane said, sitting up. Along with their pot of green tea, Annie had brought in an abundance of sweets, consisting of sponge cakes, cheesecakes, and pastries. After placing down the comestibles, Annie and Bianchi both left the room in a hurry.

“Okay,” Shane said, getting up from his seat. “Anything weird with these things? How the hell’d that girl make these sweets in the amount of time we’ve been sat here? We’ve been here for what twenty minutes?” He pulled out his pocket watch. “Wait a second…..This damned thing! ‘Coulda sworn I had it fixed the other day when we made it here!”

“What’s wrong?” asked Steven, walking up to Shane. Upon closer expection, Shane’s pocket watch seemed to be moving just slightly faster than usual. Though it had felt as if they’d only been at the Castle for less than 30 minutes, his watch read that they’d been there for two whole hours. “...What the hell?” In a rush, Steven pulled out his own pocket watch, which appeared to be almost identical.

“Ryan?” Shane asked. Ryan, who already had taken out his own pocket watch, looked up in concern. He didn’t need to say anything, the look on his face meant his watch read the same exact way.

_ What the hell did we get ourselves into? _

+

Working amongst the supernatural was not uncommon for the three men. They Hunted and killed Vampires for a living and had done it for years, they were practically used to this stuff. What they were not used to, however, was the bending of space and time itself. Evil Vampires? Now that was one thing they could deal with. But watching their plane of existence being contorted right in front of their eyes? That was out of their control, and they’d be damned liars if they said it didn’t scare them. 

“Where to even begin…” Steven said, taking a seat, head in his hands. 

“One at a time,” Shane somehow managed to keep his cool, as to not go out of his mind. “Ryan? These things any good?” Ryan sighed, nodding.

“Well if you’re asking if I saw them doing anything to these things, no. However, by the time I had gotten to the kitchen, most of the desserts had been prepared and the tea leaves had already been crushed, so I can’t say for sure.” The three Hunters just stared at the food in silence. If these Vampires were aware of their true intentions, they could definitely poison the Hunters, easily. They knew better than to eat before taking precautions. Andrew walked into the room, finding nothing being touched.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, seeming to be concerned. “Do sweets not appeal to the American taste? I’m sorry, I can call Annie and ask her to prepare something else.”

“No!” Steven said, getting up. “That-that’s quite alright. We...we just wanted to wait for your presence. We’d love to get to know our host for the time being.” Andrew turned to Steven, flashing a smile.

“Is that so? I appreciate your gesture, Mr. Lim. Very kind of you.” Ryan and Shane gave each other a quick look. Vampires are known for their charms, but they’d rather not watch their Rookie get charmed to death. That’s what they were for. Ryan coughed.

“So, um,” he said, trying to get Andrew’s attention. “Shall we eat?” Andrew looked at the shorter man with a blank stare, picking up a sponge cake and sinking a fork into the soft dessert.

“Tell me about yourselves, you three. Where in America are you from?” The three stared at Andrew eating and he stared right back, awaiting an answer. Either the food truly was harmful, or, something Ryan might think, the food had been contaminated with something that was harmless to Vampires. Regardless, one of them was going to have to bite the bullet eventually. Ryan pour the four of them a cup of tea.

“Actually,” said Ryan, picking up his cup. “We don’t really come from a single location. We travel quite a lot. I don’t know if you had heard, but we’re writers, so we move around to do research and look for inspiration.” Andrew cocked his eyebrow and set his cake down. 

“Traveling writers, eh?” Andrew took a sip of his tea. “What are you doing all the way in Ukraine for? In the middle of the woods no less?” This guy was really pushing their bullshitting limits, wasn’t he.

“They’re mostly just here for me,” Steven said, hesitantly grabbing a pastry. “I write about fashion and was interested by your culture. I haven’t been out of the country before, so these two are here to help me navigate.” Andrew chuckled softly.

“Well, they haven’t been very good at that, have they?” he said, earning a quick look from the two. “Seeing as the only reason you’re in my abode is because you three had gotten lost.” Steven laughed uncomfortably. Ryan and Shane just kept their mouths shut. 

“Yes...quite. I...must admit, we aren’t exactly at a complete loss. It’s been a pleasure to be welcomed with such hospitality.” Ryan had to say something before he felt sick.

“What about you, Andrew? We’d love to get to know our host as well?” He laughed.

“Well, what would you like to know? Ask away, gentlemen.” The three men turned to each other. What could they possibly ask without getting caught or being too suspicious?

“So, Lord Iln-Andrew,” Shane started, putting down an empty cup. “Excuse my ignorance, but you appear too young to be a Lord? Why is that?”

“My father,” said the Lord, sitting down. “When he passed, he had no other heirs besides me to pass on the title to. I was given Lord at a young age, I understand the confusion.”

“How, um, old are you, exactly?” Steven asked, hesitantly.

“Why, Mr. Lim! Don’t you know your manners?” Andrew said, feigning shock. “I’m 28, sir. And you three?”

“Lim and Bergara are the same age, in fact!” Shane said. “I’m 32.” Andrew laughed.

“A peculiar bunch, us four, aren’t we? All close in age, yet leading such different lives!” Ryan chuckled, uncomfortably. Things were starting to maybe get a little too chummy for his taste.

“Quite. I’d kill for the title of Lord.” he said, mostly as a joke. Andrew looked up at the man, flashing his pearly whites with a grin.

“I wouldn’t hold your breath if I were you, sir.” Andrew said. The three Hunters became extremely quiet and Ryan looked at Andrew, with a questioning face. Was he going to attack? What did he mean by that? If anything, surely he would be overpowered, his one against their three. As if just on time, Annie stepped in, cutting the tension. “Ah, Miss Annie, right on time. It appears we are done with our dining.” She nodded, picking up the empty pot and plates.

_ “Now,” Andrew said, turning back to the men as Annie stepped out. “Would you like me to show you three to your rooms?” _


	3. Game Plan

“Have you three ever been married?” Lord Ilnyckyj asked the Hunters as they ascended the Castle’s grand stairway. They couldn’t begin to start on how uncomfortable they were, especially Shane and Ryan. First they learn that time passes very differently in this Castle, and now Andrew threatens them? And to top it all off, their Rookie being swayed by the main event. The Senior Hunters couldn’t exactly be too hard on him for it, Vampires were known to be flirty and manipulative with their charms, and it’s natural for Rookies to be swept away so easily. But that didn’t mean they enjoyed watching it any less, especially when it’s their own Rookie. Good thing they were there to keep himself from getting killed.

  
“Yes, sir. Well, at least one of us anyway,” Ryan said, glancing out of every window they passed. It was dark out but he couldn’t even tell you what time it was. He’d look too suspicious if he peered down at his pocket watch every two seconds. Last time, a couple minutes ended up being a couple hours. It had felt like hours since then, so how much time has passed now? Ryan couldn’t fathom the idea. “Mr. Madej over here has a very lovely wife.”

  
“Well does he now!” Andrew said, stopping and turning to Shane. “Tell us about her Mr. Madej, I’d love to hear about her.” Shane wasn’t really married. He’d like to, but he wasn’t. But because of their job, Sara had “graciously allowed her employees” to use her as a cover if a Vampire had asked about a wife. The only exception was in group missions, and Shane was always the only one with “a wife”. Just sometimes, he wished he didn’t have to lie about Sara being his wife. Only sometimes.

  
“Name’s Sara,” he said, shrugging casually. “Exceptional woman, that one. Extremely gracious and lovely.” Ryan nudged Shane as if to tell him to cool it, but Andrew saw his gesture differently.

  
“My, you must love her dearly,” the Lord said, turning his back. “She a strong woman? Emotionally, I mean.” The Hunters glanced at each other. What was this guy playing at?

  
“...Quite. May I ask why?” Shane said, lowly. Andrew shrugged.

  
“Strong women are extremely exceptional. She must take losses well.” An uncomfortable silence permeated the space. Lord Ilnyckyj’s back was turned to them; any of them could just kill him right now and that’d be one Vampire down. But his guard was still too high up and the three couldn’t decipher what he could possibly be planning. Andrew turned back to the Hunters as they got to the top of the stairs. “Mr. Bergara, Mr. Madej, here is where you will be staying.” Andrew said, gesturing to their left. It was a common room, nothing grand. But contained multiple beds, as if a room for staff to share.

  
“Um, Lor-Andrew. Not to be rude, but why can’t the three of us stay in here? There seems to be enough beds for double the number of us there are.” But by the end of Ryan’s sentence, Andrew and Steven were already halfway down the hall. Just as Ryan stepped forward to follow, Shane pushed him into the room, calling out a thank you to the Lord and shut the door.

  
“You nut!” Ryan said, the second the door shut. “You just left our Rookie out there in the midst of three Vampires!” Shane huffed, pacing and pulling out his pocket watch.

  
“Ryan, in the time we’ve been here, have you been paying attention to the sky?” He opened his mouth to answer, but Shane cut him off. “Of course you haven’t that’s Steven’s job dammit. Regardless, this place is weird.”

  
“Well yeah, no shit you simp!” Ryan said, confusedly. “What are you getting at?”

  
“How long do you think we were searching for this place?”

  
“An hour? Maybe two?”

  
“And how long do you think we’ve been in this damned place?”

  
“Shane, I know time has been skewed to shit, what are you getting at?”

  
“Ryan. We landed in this country on November 11, didn’t we?” Shane asked, looking back at his pocket watch.

  
“Yeah,” Ryan said, removing his hat. “That’s today.”

_“No,” Shane said, showing Ryan his watch. “It’s been 24 hours. It’s the 12th.”_

+

Steven sat on the bed in his room. He looked around. Marble ceilings, beautifully painted walls and furniture. Such a grand room. Luxurious, almost. He hated it. The room, the Castle. The residents. Every time he came across Andrew, it was almost like...almost like...he was entranced. And he hated it. He hated the way his breath gets caught in his throat, he hated the way his heart pounded a little harder whenever the man stepped into the room. He hated how he was a Vampire. Why the hell did he have to be a Vampire? Steven grumbled to himself and halfheartedly stood up, dragging himself to his briefcase and opening it up. Twenty stakes, differing in size. A few vials of holy water. Some crucifixes, and a bundle of garlic. He sighed, picking up a crucifix. He hated his damned job.

_“Thank you!” Shane had called out to Andrew while entering his not-as-posh room. Andrew had turned to Steven with a thin smile._

  
_“What about you, Mr. Lim?” he had asked. “Any wife of your own?” Steven scoffed, thinking of past loves, considering just using them as a cover. But like a fool,_

  
_“You heard Ryan,” Steven said coolly. “Shane’s the only married man out of us three.” Andrew chucked._

  
_“Shame, then. A woman would be lucky to be with any of you gentlemen. Honest, gracious, and respectable.” Steven nodded silently. Honest? No, they’ve been lying all night._ _They weren’t lost, they weren’t writers, Shane wasn’t married. He almost felt guilty, lying to Andrew, who was complimenting them for who they weren’t._

  
_“And you, Lord Ilnyckyj?” said Steven, managing to swallow his anxiousness. “You seem like a catch yourself.” With that, Andrew laughed. A whole and hearty laughed, which boomed throughout Steven’s entire being. God, he hated how that laugh had made him feel._

  
_“Well, married? No. But they were many women who tried. But I was never exactly...taken by them, I guess. Never exactly peaked my interest.” Steven looked at Andrew. He wasn’t exactly staring off into space, but seemed to be basking in his memories. Their next few steps had been silent, until Andrew had stopped in front of a door, opening it to reveal a grand bedroom, put together as if it hadn’t been touched by anyone, as if it was awaiting the proper individual to use it. “And here is your room, Mr. Lim. Perhaps I will see you in the morning?” Steven nodded._

  
_“Perhaps.”_

Steven looked down at his briefcase. He cursed himself for not being clever enough to think of a way to use these against the opposition.

+

“You’re goofing,” Ryan grabbed Shane’s pocket watch. The hands of the watch were moving even faster than when they had last checked it. He tossed it back over to the older man, completely freaked out. “Jesus! What the hell kind of mission did Sara put us on?”

  
“Hey, don’t put this one the boss, she wouldn’t have known!” Shane said, tucking his pocket watch back into his pants. Ryan rolled his eyes at him. Although Shane was right, he’d normally poke fun at him for his crush on Sara, but this time, the situation was dire.

  
“Okay, so. What in God’s name are we dealing with?”

  
“Well, we got the three bloodsuckers downstairs, the weird time crunch, and Steven’s stuck halfway down the damned hallway probably getting his jimmies rustled by Lord Bat-freak!” Ryan groaned, taking a seat on one of the beds, causing clouds of dust to be ejected from it’s sheets.

  
“Alright, well, is this something we’re used to? No, no it isn’t. But we’ve been doing this for seven years and I’ll be damned if we just fink out of this mission and get our asses beat by Rubin!” Shane walks over and sits across from Ryan, making his own dust clouds emerge.

  
“Sara’s been doing this even longer than us two, I’m sure she knows about these kind of situations and assumed we could deal with it,” he said, pulling out their briefcases.

“Let’s start with a game plan, like we do for every other normal mission.”

  
Just as Shane popped open his own briefcase, a knock was heard at the door. The two froze.

  
“We’re busy!”

  
“We’re naked!” Shane and Ryan said simultaneously. They both silently yelled at each other in a comedic sense, being completely clueless on how to respond to the door.

  
“Um,” the voice timidly said on the other side. “Sh-should I come back later?” The two sighed. It was just Steven. Shane gets up and whips the door open, dragging the Rookie into the room.

  
“Hey! Are you done getting your rocks off with that Vampire?” he said, throwing Steven next to Ryan.

  
“I wasn’t...doing..that…” Steven said, uncomfortably. He wasn’t exactly convincing but the other men knew that if something had happened, Steven would be much more disheveled. “Look, can we just…do something already? Do we have a plan? I can’t stand this place.”

  
“It depends,” Shane said, going back to fiddling with the contents of his briefcase, which was more or less similar to Steven’s. “It’s been a while since we’ve dealt with Vampires of this caliber, hasn’t it Ryan?”

  
“Sure has. Usually jobs don’t take this long since Vampires are more commonly just whacked out normal folks, like possessed folks or demons. But Vampires like these? With culture and manners and are at least seemingly right in the head? It’s definitely been a couple years and God dammit, it’s a shame we hadn’t prepped better. This mission will take some time. More than it’s already taken from us, seeing how fast time moves in this joint.”

  
“So what do we do?”

  
“With Vamps like these?” said Shane, taking out a vial of holy water. “We wait them out. But until then,” Shane opened the vial and poured it on himself.

_“We'll take every precaution there is.”_


	4. The Maid, the Blacksmith, and the Lord

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some time-accurate vocabulary:
> 
> Gapeseed - An interesting/astonishing sight

“What do you think of those men?” Annie asked, sitting down next to Adam. She had finally finished tidying up the Castle’s main foyer and she was ready to just collapse. You’d think being a Vampire would come with some pretty neat perks, but no, you just have a thirst for blood and can die easier than you’d been able to before, which was really annoying. Although used to being confined into the darkness, her short time as a  _ human _ servant to the Ilnyckyj’s had taught her to love the sun and the outdoors, and relish in the family’s garden. But now, she was nocturnal and would die at the hands of the sun’s warmth, and the Ilnyckyj garden was thriving no longer with no one to take care of it. Annie loved her companions, but it was a real shame what her life had become now. Adam stretched his legs on the velvet couch and shrugged.

“Andrew thinks they’re Hunters.” He said, removing his glasses to clean them. The three Vampire were very close and friendly with each other, but after spending literal centuries with each other, it becomes inevitable to start to get annoyed at the smallest things.

“That’s not what I asked.”

“You’re asking me if I think they’re Hunters. Andrew thinks they are. I think they’re American writers who got lost because these damned woods are so fickle and stupid, they would’ve never found a damn way out if they hadn’t ended up here.”

“And you think they just somehow, these people just randomly ended up here, amongst the hundreds of acres these woods expand?” Andrew stood at the top of the stairway, just like he had when the three Americans arrived. Adam and Annie just turned to each other, mentally sighing.

“Andrew-”

“The Hunters are back, Adam.They’re back and they’re here for us.” Andrew came down the stairs, looking both defeated and tired. Though the three were all fairly close in age, Andrew appeared to have aged the most. He had definitely been the one to have dealt with the most.

“Andrew,” Annie said, getting up. “The last of the Vampire Hunters died when that Van Helsing man died in Transylvania. That was twenty years ago.” Andrew chuckled and walked past her, sitting on the couch across from Adam.

“Twenty years ago….and remind me again how long twenty years feels in here?” he asked, head in his hands. The three all became silent. The air was solemn with Andrew being stressed out with their new guests and Adam and Annie being fed up with Andrew’s paranoia. “Do…do you two remember when Father passed?” Adam and Annie turned to each other again. In the 274 years they had been Vampires, Andrew never exactly liked talking about his Father. He was the one who had led the three to turn, which were never exactly fond memories.

“His servants had came to you and told you you’d be Lord,” Annie said quietly. “And sent you away for some time.” Andrew nodded, sitting up.

“They sent me away to some quiet village in Romania, told me I’d be learning business, how to do things the same way my Father had.”

“But that isn’t what had happened.” Adam interjected. Andrew shook his head with a bitter smile.

“No. They took me inside at night and from what I remember, some woman bolted up and bit down on me and the next thing I knew, someone’s wrist was in my mouth and so was a lot of blood.” Annie grimaced, looking at the detestation on Andrew’s face. After Andrew had been turned, he hated discussing the matters on how his had happened, hated bringing up that had anything related to it. But after nearly 300 years with his closest companions, he thought he might as well come to some type of terms with it.

“You’d been gone for a month,” Annie said, recalling the events from centuries ago. “Was it because of the….the Turning Point?” The three almost seemed to recoil when Annie had brought up the event. The Turning Point was the time between a Vampire’s initial first bite and their regaining of sanity. For about a month after a person gets bitten by a Vampire with the intent of becoming one themselves, they become inhuman, in a way. Almost demonic. As if their body is being controlled by a starving wild animal. They’re unable to speak or move in ways that the average person would. They climb up walls, run at speeds that would challenge those of a horse. Bodies contorting at uncomfortable positions and only communicating through shrieks and wails. The changing blood inside of them turns the skin into a changing purple to blue before it settles down to their natural color, but paler. That period of time is the most painful in a Vampire’s life, even more than death. It serves as a horrible memory for every Vampire, and is almost outright forbidden to speak of. Andrew nodded, remembering his own, and of the Turning Points of his friends.

“Yes,” he said simply, pushing past the topic. “And do you remember, just before I came back? My message?”

“‘To kill every single soul in this damned Castle,’” Adam said, looking down. “‘Every single soul who knew what was to come.’”

_ “Kill every godforsaken soul in that damned Castle. Kill every single soul who knew what was to come to me and every single soul who had been waiting for my Father’s demise just so they could watch the same exact thing happen to me. I know they walk amongst the dead, as well as my own Father did, and as I do now. They did this to me, they brought me to my death. And now I will bring them to theirs.” Adam had read aloud Andrew’s message to the two of them. Annie looked at Adam worried. How were they supposed to kill hundred of Vampires in one night? They weren’t courageous Vampire Hunters, they were just lowly servants to the Ilnyckyj Castle. A Maid and a Blacksmith. Annie kept reading Andrew’s letter over and over again until Adam had placed his hand over Annie’s. She looked up at him with worry and as if he had read her mind, he shrugged.  _

_ “A maid and a blacksmith, huh?” He said, almost laughing. “That’s who Andrew has put his trust in.” Although being able to get her to laugh for just a brief moment, Adam takes the letter from her hands and tucks it away so she doesn’t read it over for a 50th time. The two sit in silence together for just a moment, until Adam gets up. Annie looks at him and he turns to her, extending his hand. She takes his hand into her own and gives a thin smile. _

_ “Ready to quite possibly throw away our lives?” he asked, returning her smile. Annie hesitated in response, looking down in thought, but she looked back up and nodded, seemingly gaining every bit of confidence she could muster up. _

_ “Let’s show them a gapeseed they will never forget.” _

Turns out, it was Adam and Annie who were the ones that would never forget. Tearing apart curtains, listening to the sounds of sizzling flesh covered by the ear-piercing screams. The sound of wood striking through bodies both seemingly young and older than Annie or Adam could’ve guessed. By the time Andrew would arrive home, the two would be standing there, waiting for him, covered in ash and blood. And what would they get in return? The chance to be together forever. The chance for all three companions to live through eternity by each other’s sides. Andrew told them as such. Annie and Adam believed him, still believe him. And although it is truthful in some ways, sometimes it feels as if it was an act of selfishness. An act of fear. The fear of being alone. The fear of one’s self. The air was grim. Andrew had never asked about what happened, he just came back to the aftermath and thanked Annie and Adam for completing such a high order. Andrew looked at the two. He can see the acts of what he had forced them to do aged them just as much as his own trauma aged him.

“I should’ve killed you two,” he said bluntly. The two looked up at him, confused and almost insulted. Andrew shook his head, laughing at himself. “I should’ve killed you two. I can’t believe I made you two kill an entire Castle. And for what? Some petty revenge? I didn’t…..” Andrew trailed off, not knowing what to say. Annie opened her mouth to speak, but Andrew cut off her before she could start.

“Do not say I didn’t force your hands. I did. You two know just as well as I do,” Andrew laughed again, voice low. “And what did you two get out of this? I turned you two into the very thing I had forced you to kill. I can’t even say my actions were those of an unknowing child because an unknowing child I was not. I was, I  _ am,  _ an adult, and yet I still made such stupid decisions.”

“You were scared,” Annie said, leaning over and placing her hand on Andrew’s elbow. “You were scared and we were too. It’s been almost three centuries. Whatever’s been done has been done.”

“Andrew,” Adam started, sitting up. “It has been an honor to be by your side through such a time. To share your trauma, to suffer together. Do not say you regret this decision. I would do all of this again a hundred times over just to stand by you.” Annie nodded in agreement. Andrew looked at the two of them for quite some time before laughing.

_ “The maid and the blacksmith, huh?” He said with a large smile. “That’s who I put my trust in.” _


	5. Following Morning

The rising of the sun gleamed against the gold and marble that decorated the room. Steven made a noise that even he couldn’t distinguish; if whether it was a sigh or a groan. He hadn’t slept much that night, not when this mission was taking a toll on not only the Rookie, but on the Senior Hunters as well. The three spent most of the night preparing, dousing themselves with holy water, tucking crosses into their clothes, and eating a couple cloves of garlic. The pungent taste stuck in Steven’s mouth and he felt disgusting. He sat up, squinting at the morning glow. Once his eyes adjusted, he dragged himself out of the bed and tried to rub some sleepiness out of his face. Walking up to the window, Steven sighed. Though it hadn’t appeared to during the previous night, as night turned to day, the time shift had become more noticeable. The time on his pocket watch had shown that eight hours had passed, Steven had felt like he had only been lying in bed for as little as three hours. He looked out and chuckled. Trees upon trees upon trees, with the only changes being the dips and arches of the land. Ukraine was such a beautiful country, it was a real shame the only reason he was here was to kill a bunch of Vampires. And to top it all off, one of them appeared to...have  _ some _ type of thing for him. Before Steven had gotten too lost in his own thoughts, he jumped as a knock came to the door.

“Mr. Lim?” It was the maid. What was her name again? Ann? Annie? “Breakfast is being served, we’d love for you to join us.” Steven just stared at the door, unsure on how exactly to respond. After some time and the door remaining silent, Steven managed to relax. It seemed the others began to wake now. Steven walked to where he had left his briefcase and picked up the pile of clothes he had left besides it. Just as he had been putting his shirt back on, another knock at the door sounded, making the man jump once more. He turned again silently towards the door, as if whoever was on the other side would be able to see his anxious stare.

“Rook?” asked the voice on the other side of the door. Steven sighed; it was just Ryan.

“Y-yes?” Steven replied, still frozen in his place, shirt half-on. In response, his door was whipped open to reveal the two Hunters and Steven rushed to slip into his shirt. Shane laughed, strolling into the room casually while Steven struggled to pull his half-asleep self together.

“Sakes alive!” Shane cried out, basking in the presence of Steven’s grand room. “Goodness man, you need to teach me your charms! I’d swoon any Vampires any day to breathe in a room like this!” Ryan nudged him, chuckling.

“Hush up,” he said to the older man. Ryan looked at Steven’s red face and disheveled composure. “So you hadn’t gotten any sleep either, have you, Rook?” Steven shook his head and Ryan nodded in response.

“Most of the night was spent staring at the ceiling,” Steven looked up at the marble ceiling, the way it gleamed with it’s pure shine. “But then again, it’s hard to sleep when such surfaces reflect so much damn light. So do we have a plan for today?” The Senior Hunter looked at each other. In the previous night, they had said that their ultimate plan and goal was to take every precaution possible, and they did. But beyond that, they were mostly in the dark. Ryan perked up, hand on Shane’s shoulder.

“How about,” he said, cautiously. “We scope our surroundings. Maybe get to know the opposition? Try and figure out what exactly we’re dealing with.” Shane mildly tensed up.

“So like, three of us and three of them. One on one?” Ryan nodded and Shane sighed, unknowingly. 

“ _Well, that’s kind of dangerous? But then again, what other choice do we have? I’m not itching to get myself offed down here.”_

+

The three silently sat at the dining table, waiting. Amongst them were an array of fruits, sliced tomatoes, pastries, cold meats, and even more. The longer the three waited, the more anxious Andrew became, and it was very obvious to the other two at the table. His expression became darker with each passing minute and started to look at the contents of the table in disdain.

“Annie, you-”

“Yes,” Annie said, cutting him off, sounding more impatient with him than their late morning guests. “I called the three down to join us at the table. Please stop asking me this and just wait a minute longer, it’s been not even five minutes since the last time you asked for them.”

“Why are they taking so damn long?” Andrew asked under his breath, though Annie and Adam were both still clearly able to hear him. He huffed impatiently, almost like a child. “They’re planning something. They’re going to do something, I know it.” Annie and Adam looked at each other. A combination of weariness and pity were both present as the faces reflected one another.

“Andrew,” Adam started, but Andrew shot him a look of frustration with just a hint of what could’ve been anxiety or fear. He sighed. “Please, can we just give them a damned chance? They’ve only been here for a night, we don’t know anything about them. We haven’t seen any Hunter in two decades, Andrew,  _ please. _ ” Adam pleaded. The table was silent again, unresponsive to Adam’s plea.

“And what if we’re wrong?” Andrew said, darkly. As those words were muttered, the tense air was broken with the sound of a chirpy voice.

“Good morning!” Ryan called out, entering the dining room with the other two following behind him. “We apologize for being late, Steven had overslept. It appears this Castle is quite a comfortable abode! Thank you for such gracious hospitality.” Andrew chuckled and nodded, displaying a false face of a composed man, as if he hadn’t been having a breakdown just a second ago.

“Not to worry,” Andrew said, standing from his seat and strolling over to the guests to greet them. “You’re right on time, Bergara, was it? Here, take a seat, you three.” As the four take their seats, Annie and Adam come up from their seats and begin serving the multicolored foods displayed in front of them. 

+

In no time, their plates were quickly finished. The previous tension that was heavy in the room had dissipated and the six of them were making friendly conversation. It was almost...normal. Almost...natural. As if one half of them weren’t Vampires and the other half weren’t Hunters. It almost felt...as if this was a gathering of friends. But alas, it was not. But maybe, in another life, quite possibly.

“Say,” Steven had started, finishing what had been left of his tea. “I saw there was a garden outside my room’s window. Or, at least, what may have used to been a garden? Why hasn’t it attended to?” The space becomes quiet again and Andrew smiles a bitter smile.

“It was my mother’s garden,” he says solemnly. “But as you can see, it is only the three of us who remain here.” Ryan opens his mouth to speak, but turns to Steven instead. If anyone were to ask Lord Ilnyckyj sensitive questions and actually get some answers, Steven would most likely be the one to do it.

“U-um... Andrew… M-may I ask...what exactly happened to your mother? And everyone else here?” If the air wasn’t heavy before, it was even more so now. Annie and Adam anxiously looked at each other and then turned to Andrew, but instead of the usual grim look he would have on his face, it looked more...intense than usual. But not of anger or an overwhelming feeling of emotion, but he suddenly had a marvelous idea.

“Well,” he began, laughing bitterly. “The same thing that happens to all of us of course. She’s long passed, along with everyone else.”

“I...I’m very sorry for your loss, Andrew...” Shane said, uncomfortably. Andrew nodded, face looking more grim than ever.

“It’s just...those  _ damned Vampires… _ ” Everyone perked up. Annie and Adam glanced at each other, full of anxiety.  _ Was Andrew going to rat them out?  _ Apart from the two, the Hunters had seemed to become entranced by Andrew’s words.

“V-Vampires?” Ryan asked, feigning terror. “Wh-what do you mean?” Andrew looked at him curiously.  _ Was Ryan’s inquisitiveness because of his fear or because he’s a Hunter?  _ Andrew had to muster all his energy to keep himself for cracking an inch of a smile. He nodded grimly.

“I was fairly young when it happened, so I don’t remember much of it. But just outside of these woods is a small and quiet town. It was back in 1890, so quite some time, but from what I had heard, everyone from that little village had been possessed or turned at some point. This residence was the closest thing with living people that they could access. So in no time, this Castle went from a thriving stable household to… however many of us were left. My Father, a couple servants, and myself. We had nowhere else to go so we had to wait it out; wait until all of whoever was left inside burned away. We had rebuilt what we could back from the ground up...but sometimes it’s best to leave things as they were.” The air was literally so heavy at this point, someone had to speak up before the weight crushed everyone in the room.

“I...I can help,” Steven said quietly. Suddenly, everyone’s heads turned to the man. “I...I grew up in a small farm in America. I could...I could help you rebuild it from the ground back up if...if you’d like…” Though not exactly noticeable to the three residents, Ryan and Shane were a fraction from straight up jumping across the table and ripping him apart. Andrew, on the other hand, seemed to beam at him.

“I might just take you on that offer, sir,” Andrew said, a smile ever-present in his voice. Ryan coughed, trying to draw attention onto himself and failing. “Annie has some experience in gardening, herself. I can call a carriage for you two tonight. I know of a market just outside of these woods that can supply us with what we need.” He nodded to Annie, who began cleaning up the plates on the table. Adam tries to step up to assist her, but is stopped when Shane grabs his arm out of nowhere, causing him to flinch at the touch, partially from the suddenness of it and partially due to a strange burning sensation.

“Oh!” Shane cries out, recoiling his arm. “I’m sorry sir, I didn’t mean to frighten! I should’ve spoken up first. Andrew said your father was also a Blacksmith? My father was a Doctor. I know it isn’t exactly the same caliber, but they both worked with tools. Tell me Bianchi, what kind of man was your father like?” Ryan took a look at his surroundings. Shane managed to distract Adam into some conversation, Annie had been sent off to clear off the table, and Steven and Andrew were giving each other some side eye when they thought no one else was looking.

“Steven,” Ryan said, clasping his hand onto his shoulder tightly, as if to say, ‘Hey, snap out of it.’ “You must be excited for your trip tonight to the market. Why don’t you go discuss it with Annie?” Not wanting to provoke Ryan, Steven excuses himself and walks to the kitchen, leaving Ryan and Andrew. It’s funny how tense the air can get without any outward hostility. But all the while, Ryan and Andrew both forced a smile and calm disposition.

“You seem to be quite fond of Steven,” Ryan says, smirking at Andrew, who simply returns the expression with a genuine smile.

“Is it a crime to be quite fond of another man?” Andrew asks, to which Ryan shakes his head.

“No, sir, not at all!” Ryan didn’t want to push the matter forward. Sure, if this was a typical situation, he wouldn’t be opposed to Andrew’s feelings towards Steven at all. If anything, he understood, having feelings for his own partner-in-crime for the last seven years. But this was a Vampire and Ryan was willing to do anything in his power to keep Andrew as far away from Steven as he could. It was a real shame, truly. Maybe, just maybe, in a different world, things could be better. But Ryan couldn’t focus on things he couldn’t control. Right now, he had to focus on his job.

“So,” Andrew asked. “You three are writers, yes?” Ryan nodded, remembering the conversation from the night before.

“Yes, sir, that’s correct.”

“Do tell,” Andrew said, strolling ever closer to the man.

_“What are your origins, friend? How did writers of three different calibers all end up in the same place?”_


End file.
